Author: Kalantarian Kevo

President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.

The interlocutors discussed the situation established as a result of the recent Azerbaijani offensive along the line of contact with Nagorno Karabakh.

They attached importance to the mobilization of the efforts of the state and the church for the sake of solution of the most important problems and challenges.

The Catholicoi spoke about their forthcoming visit to Nagorno Karabakh.

Russia calls on all parties in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to observe agreements on cessation of hostilities, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference on Monday after talks with his Swiss counterpart Didier Burkhalter, reports.

“We call on the sides to observe the agreements reached on cessation of hostilities,” Lavrov said. “We are interested in positive shifts on the political track toward reaching agreements on settling this uneasy conflict,” he added.

Armenia will host Belarus in a friendly today. The match will be held at the Republican Stasium after Vazgen Sargsyan, the kickoff is at 7 pm.

The fixture will be the farewell match of Armenia’s long-time goalkeeper Riman Berezovsky.

The legendary keeper decided to quit international football after a Euro-2016 qualifier against Portugal.

Berezovsky had been playing for the Armenian national team since 1996. On club level he played for Russian “Zenit,” Torpedo” and “Dinamo” and holds the Russian and USSR record of denying penalties.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry reacted angrily to the statements made by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan during the latter’s official visit to Athens on Tuesday, saying they are “obsessive and one-sided.”

during the Armenian official’s visit, Tsipras spoke of the Armenian and Pontic-Greek genocide, which form part of the two countries’ common past.

“The statements in question are the products of a pathetic mentality proving that the relations and solidarity between Greece and Armenia is built upon a joint hostility and slander language directed against the Turkish identity,” the spokesperson of the Turkish ministry, Tanju Bilgiç said in a statement.

“Turkey and the Turkish people will never give credit to those bringing to the fore at every opportunity a dictum of history which is unlawful, disconnected with realities, one-sided and obsessive,” it added.

The ministry also said the three officials referred to “historical events during the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire” which contained “grave allegations against Turkey and the Turkish identity.”

Brazilian prosecutors are filing charges against ex-President Lula da Silva in a money laundering investigation, officials say, the BBC reports.

He denies any wrongdoing and says the charges are politically motivated.

The accusations are part of a major corruption investigation at the state oil company, Petrobras.

Lula and his wife, Marisa Leticia, face questions over the alleged ownership of a seafront penthouse in the exclusive resort of Guaruja.

They are among 16 people who are formally being accused of money laundering by Sao Paulo prosecutors.

On February 3, the City Council of the Brazilian city of Franco da Rocha unanimously adopted a decision on declaring Stepanakert and Franco da Rocha twin cities, with the aim of establishing friendly relations between them.

It is noted in the decision that it will serve as a basis for the implementation of various programs and agreements, which will promote the establishment of cooperation between the cities in social, economic, and cultural spheres.

The decision also provides for an exchange of information between the cities in the spheres of culture, tourism and sports.

The draft decision was introduced by member of the City Council Antonio Lopes da Silva and endorsed by Mayor Francisco Daniel Celeguim de Morais.

Municipality of Franco da Rocha is situated in the State of Sao Paolo and has a population of about 145.000.

The volume of international transfers of major weapons in 2011–15 was 14 per cent higher than in 2006–10, a from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows.

The five biggest exporters in 2011–15 were the United States, Russia, China, France and Germany, and the five biggest importers were India, Saudi Arabia, China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia.

With a 33 per cent share of total arms exports, the USA was the top arms exporter in 2011–15. Russian exports of major weapons increased by 28 per cent between 2006–10 and 2011–15. However, exports in the years 2014 and 2015 were substantially lower than in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and were more in line with the levels seen in 2006–10. In 2011–15 Russia delivered weapons to 50 states.

Supplies to Europe increased by 264 per cent, mainly due to deliveries to Azerbaijan, which in 2011–15 accounted for 4.9 per cent of all Russian exports as against 0.7 per cent in 2006–10

WVS (the Worldwide Veterinary Service) along with its partners has successfully rescued the Gyumri Zoo lions. The Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) is a UK registered charity that provides a sustainable veterinary resource to assist animal charities throughout the world. From disaster emergency response to training and education, our aim is to provide a fast action veterinary response to charities and animals in need.

Last week, the (FPWC) in collaboration with the (WVS) organised the rescue of the Gyumri Zoo lioness Mery and her cubs Zita and Gita to the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge, a privately protected area managed by the FPWC.

Named “The World’s Saddest Zoo” by the Daily Mail, these beautiful animals were living in unbearable conditions, cramped in small dirty cages, displaying all the signs of creatures slowly being driven mad by their unnatural existence. These animals were starving, barely surviving only on scraps fed to them through bars by kind volunteers.

WVS quickly identified that swift action was required and despite the difficult weather conditions and snow, the transfer of the last inhabitants of Gyumri Zoo was managed seamlessly.

The lions are in a good physical and mental state after the adventurous experience. They are staying in heated cages until the quarantine station has been built. They will then remain there until they are ready to be moved to an appropriate facility outside of Armenia to live out the rest of their lives.

Gyumri Zoo lions are now part of a larger conservation picture. According to the memorandum signed between WVS and FPWC on February 2, 2016, the parties will work together towards in-situ conservation, animal rehabilitation and rescue initiatives in Armenia.

The construction of this quarantine station for animals in the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge, where the lions will be kept for vet examination and medicinal treatment, will mark yet another point of successful collaboration between FPWC and WVS. The quarantine station will also be the foundation stone of the Wildlife Rescue Centre, an even larger sustainable project the partners are currently designating.

It’s only because of the huge tide of support that WVS have received that this has been possible. It may only be the first step on a much bigger journey for Mery, Gita and Zita but getting them out of the ‘World’s Saddest Zoo’ asap was imperative and a brilliant achievement by all the teams concerned.

Belarus is hosting the Days of Culture of Armenia on 8-11 February, reports, quoting the Belarusian Culture Ministry.

The first event in the program of the Days of Culture will be the opening of the exhibition of ancient Armenian books at the National Library of Belarus on 9 February. Rare and unique books will be on display at the museum.

The opening ceremony of the Days of Culture of Armenia will take place at the Belarusian State Philharmonic on 9 February. Guests of the event will enjoy a scintillating performance of the Armenian State Jazz Orchestra.

The Mikhail Savitsky Art Gallery in Minsk will host the exhibition of modern Armenian artists. The exhibition will open on 10 February. The concert of the Armenian State Jazz Orchestra will take place at the concert hall of the Belarusian State Music Academy the same day.

The Days of Culture of Armenia have been organized in Belarus within the framework of the cooperation program between the culture ministries of the two countries designed to run in 2014-2017. The program aims to promote the establishment of direct contacts between the museums of the two countries, organize guests tours of theaters, music and dance companies of Belarus and Armenia, hold the Days of Belarusian Cinema in Armenia and the Days of Armenian Cinema in Belarus as part of the program.